Dame Esther Rantzen has issued a powerful warning to peers attempting to derail the assisted dying Bill: "Don't try and sabotage democracy." The veteran campaigner, who has stage four lung cancer, spoke out as some members of the House of Lords were accused of "playing games with people's lives and deaths".

More than 1,000 amendments to the landmark legislation have been tabled in Parliament's unelected chamber, including more than 500 laid by seven hardline opponents. Adding her voice to a chorus of pleas from terminally ill people who have been shocked by the behaviour of some peers, Dame Esther said: "Don't tell me that 900 plus amendments is about getting it right.

"We all know it's actually about trying to sabotage the Bill. And what I'm saying to you is, don't try and sabotage democracy.

"Give us all the choice that you would want yourself. And then we can die in dignity, pain-free, and leave our families and our loved ones with happy memories. And that's all we ask."

The broadcaster made the comments in a conversation with her daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, recorded and shared with the campaign group Dignity in Dying.

Despite knowing any change in the law will come too late for her, Dame Esther campaigned on behalf of those fighting for greater choice at the end of life since revealing her decision to register with Swiss assisted dying clinic Dignitas in 2023.

She added: "I want to say to the people who don't agree with the Bill, I absolutely understand your viewpoint. I think you should have the choice.

"Of course, when your time comes, if you don't want any assistance in dying, of course you shouldn't have it. You need to do the right thing for yourself. That is absolutely right.

"But equally, don't I deserve the choice? Don't other people who are in my situation deserve the choice?

"Shouldn't we in this country have the choice they have in Australia and Canada and the Netherlands and all the countries across the globe where people have been given the option of assisted dying?"

The Bill's supporters argue that the role of the House of Lords is to scrutinise and refine it where improvements can be made, while respecting the will of the Commons.

MPs voted to pass the legislation, introduced by backbench Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, by 314 votes to 291 at third reading in June.

However, some opponents argue that usual rules over the primacy of the Commons do not apply as the Bill is not in the Government's manifesto.

The House of Lords does not usually have closure motions that force debates to end and the Lord Speaker does not have the power to limit amendments, raising a serious risk that the process could be derailed by filibustering.

The historic legislation will only become law if both Houses can agree on the final wording before the current session of Parliament ends in spring.

More than 100 terminally ill people and bereaved families wrote to peers last week urging them to ensure that the voices of dying people remain central to the debate.

Amendments seen as unreasonable by supporters include one laid by Baroness Grey-Thompson, which would require anyone seeking assisted dying to provide a negative pregnancy test - and would apply even to a 90-year-old man with prostate cancer.

The former Paralympian has warned that legalising assisted dying would "fundamentally change" the relationship between disabled people and society.

Another laid by Baroness Coffey suggests people should only be eligible for assisted dying if they have not left the UK in the past year, which would block terminally ill people from seeing family and friends abroad or completing a bucket list trip in their final months.

The Express Give Us Our Last Rights crusade has fought for a change in the law for almost four years.

Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said a handful of hardline opponents in the House of Lords were "flagrantly ignoring democracy and playing games with people's lives and deaths".

She added: "Fair, evidence-based scrutiny and debate is necessary and welcome, but that's not what this is.

"This is a deliberate attempt to subvert the will of the Commons and the British public on assisted dying; a strategy to run down the clock on this Bill while dying people run out of time.

"As the actions of a minority of Peers risks bringing the reputation of the whole House into disrepute, a growing chorus of voices inside and outside Parliament are coming together for dying people, calling on Peers to approach this issue with the maturity and respect it deserves."